Fun!

i love how it is socially acceptable for teenage boys here to tell me they love me (te quiero in spanish) and write me notes with hearts all over them. even boys who still celebrate violence while trying to escape it. wednesday was my last day at the treatment center until september, and even though i'll be back in two months, they threw me a party with cake, coke, and dancing. the boys made me a gaint card, a drawing on a wooden panel, and each one left me a note tucked into a little green ceramic box.

yesterday in the little english class i have with my boys we made flashcards for practicing all of the words they've learned. it is always interesting for me to see how even though they are all about 16 or 17 they are at such different reading and writing levels. here is my favorite:

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i love the udder. hee hee! and here are some of my other favorites:

also, thank you for all your comments about my collages. the positive feedback always pushes me to keep creating...

A while ago when I posted about some of my favorite comics, someone (who were you?) suggested I check out Jeffrey Brown. Now, I'd like to suggest him to all of you. I read both Clumsy and Unlikely and liked both, but LOVED Clumsy. I especially love the way Jeff captures expression in such a simple way. Clumsy is the story of a long distance relationship between Jeff and Theresa and Unikely is the story of how Jeff lost his virginity. There are some scenes in Clumsy that are so sweet that I think they would make a lovely wedding gift, even if the relationship fails in the end. Now I need to read Be A Man, which is the more manly version of the story of Clumsy (apparently Jeff got a lot of slack for being sensitive, don't know why as it was this quality that made me like the book) and Any Easy Intimacy, the most recent book about Jeff's problems with relationships. Perfect summer reading...I can't wait to hit the NYC comic book shops.

Going to the parade in Pujili brought up some more questions for me about what is and isn't racist. For one, if something is considered racist in the US, does that automatically mean it is racist in another country? There were two kinds of costumes in the parade where people who aren't black dressed up as black. Jordan and I debated whether they are racist and ultimately decided one is and one isn't. I'd be interested to hear if you agree.

The above photo is from a performance of a coastal dance from the northwest of Ecuador. Everyone familiar with Ecuadorian geography knows that this is the area in Ecuador with the largest population of Afroecuatorianos. Since this is an Afroecuatoriano dance and the man painted black is simply performing the dance we decided this isn't racist. Ideally, the parade would have included actual people from Esmereldas (the province in the northwest), but in many ways this picture shows a celebration of one of the many cultures of Ecuador.

This second photo is of one of the men performing in the section of the parade that included a group of men in clown suits and black face. To us, this is racist. Why the clown suits? Why the silly dances not based in culture (or at least not clearly based in culture) like the other performances? Why the gold tribal-like painting on the faces? (And why is Ecuador spelled wrong in the photo on the left?)

Supposedly, this performace was loosely tied to the Mama Negra celebration from the nearby town of Lactacunga. Each year a new man is awarded the title of Mama Negra and dresses up as a woman and in black face. I missed this celebration this past fall so I cannot say for sure whether or not it is offensive. However, based on the discrimination against black Ecuadorians we've witnessed elsewhere, the idea of people "playing" black does bother me. I know racial relations in Ecuador have improved and I wonder as they continue to do so if this tradition will be changed or eradicated altogether?

She sent a French crafting magazine (why isn't there anything like this in Ecuador?), a card she designed, a cute wash cloth she embellished, fabric, a pin, a bunch of craft supplies, and one of her beautiful ceramic rings (which is not in the photo as it became part of lisa's birthday present and the one I have from Natacha from a few months ago refuses to photo well but I will keep trying!!!).

This package arrived at the perfect time as I had had a terrible morning and was able to forget it all by relaxing with a cup of tea (see photo right) and a fun independent paper (see photo top left). And how did she know I LOOOVE Maurice Sendak? (I had to include the Camper box in the photo as Shari recently bought these shoes and I felt like such an internet to real life moment when I opened the package and saw that box.)

In this package was a TON of paper, a vintage apron and scarf, ceramic cats, and a giant magnet, My favorite part was the amazing little organizer decorated with one of Ellia's cute characters and filled with even more paper:

On Saturday, Ryan, Cati, and I went to the town of Pujili for their big Corpus Christi celebration and parade. Before the Incas, the indigenous people of Pujili celebrated this holiday to honor Mother Earth, when the Incas came it also became a celebration of the Sun (the main Inca god), and then when the Spanish came Catholic images/ideas were added.

The parade is about color, color, and more color. Traditional outfits are worn but in the brightest versions available and often layered for even more color.

Everyone was dancing, and many people were giving out shots of whiskey and cane alcohol. (Que fuerte!)

My favorite part of the parade were the home-made costumes filled with mirror, paint, and various other objects. Watching the parade was like watching a giant arts-and-crafts project.

i wish i could go to the renegade crafts fair this weekend! but, i do have something pretty cool planned for tomorrow and if all goes as planned i'll have some very colorful photos to share on monday. :)

it's been awhile since i've posted links, so here it goes:

1. lately, i've been digging very simple paintings. i imagine one hanging in my home and staring at it whenever i wanna relax. i think these paintings by Alicia LaChance would be perfect:

Ecuador won its second world cup game today! 3-0 against Costa Rica. The entire city of Quito is beaming. Craziness! Horns are honking, flags are waving, and booties are shaking. Quito is once again a great sea of yellow. I love it.